An Instagram account, RuPublicans, has gained tens of thousands of followers overnight after images of prominent Republican politicians dressed in drag went viral on social media. The images were created using an artificial intelligence platform that rendered high-resolution images of Republican politicians, including Lindsey Graham, Rudy Giuliani, and Mike Pence. The images were created by Craig DeForest and his husband, who created the account to poke fun at the GOP’s rhetoric around drag and anti-drag legislation that is being passed in various houses.
DeForest uses an AI technology platform called Midjourney to create ultra-photoreal high fashion images by prompting the AI with elaborate text. He and his husband were surprised at how fast their idea took off and were excited to use AI as a powerful tool for good to build an activist platform. While AI is opening up limitless possibilities for content creators, DeForest notes that none of the RuPublican’s content is meant to be mean-spirited.
The images are not only absurd but also complex and beautiful, and they get at Republicans’ seeming worst nightmare: drag queens. The account has gained over 80,000 followers on Instagram in less than a day after people checked out the original creator online. Other characters created by RuPublicans include Bombshell Bannon (Steve Bannon), Hawl About Me (Josh Hawley), Speaker Sparklebottom (Kevin McCarthy), Rhonda Shanty (Ron DeSantis), and Rudy Garland (Rudy Giuliani).
The images have brought joy to those who laugh about them, but they also make a statement. With the tools of AI, DeForest and his husband are using humor to point out the absurdity of the GOP’s policies against drag and LGBTQ+ people. The account is a powerful tool for activism, and DeForest says he’s getting hundreds of requests for images of people in drag.
DeForest and his husband created the RuPublicans account as they travel across the country in an Airstream camper. He notes that AI has opened up a future that they could have never imagined, and it’s all because of AI. This new door to their lives has given them a platform to poke fun at right-wingers, create beautiful art, and spread a message of acceptance and love.